The applicant of this invention previously developed a nonstandard sewing machine for sewing thick quilts, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. sho 56-8638. This sewing machine includes, a machine frame provided with upper and lower horizontal guide rails, an arm unit with a needle bar and a bed unit with a rotating hook. The arm and bed units confront each other and are connected respectively to the upper and lower guide rails for movement along the respective upper and lower guide rails. This sewing machine has an advantage in that it requires only about a quarter to a half of the floor space that is required by a conventional sewing machine including a horizontally movable quilt-supporting bed and an stable machine body with an arm and bed unit.
However, in the above-described sewing machine, since the distance between the arm unit and the bed unit is not adjustable, there arises a problem that it is not easy to efficiently perform the setting and withdrawing of a quilt into and from the proper position between the arm and bed units.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sewing machine which can be installed in a rather narrow floor space.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine in which the setting and the withdrawing of an article to be sewn are easily performed upon the beginning and the ending of the sewing operation.